MONDAY, SCHOOL PARKING LOT - 6:29 AM
The roar of motorcycle engines just being turned off left behind a brief silence. I stood next to Gerry's motorcycle, fixing my uniform which was a little wrinkled from the ride.
At the edge of the asphalt, two tall figures emerged through the thin morning mist. Nico and Victor. Their steps were in sync, relaxed yet dominating.
"Vic, show your smile. Pretend to be happy even though we actually hate going to school," Nico murmured with his hands buried in his jacket pockets.
Victor stopped for a moment, his nose sniffing the air. "Nic, do you sense something strange?"
"What?"
"Long time no see at school, looks like the class president has started a new religion. But probably no one wants to be his follower."
"I heard he even changed the class motto to 'point finger, do nothing,'" Nico replied sarcastically.
"Ke ke ke. Sounds like a cult," Victor replied, followed by both of them chuckling softly.
Their steps slowed as they saw us. Victor nudged Nico's arm, his chin pointing at Gerry. "Hey, Nico. Is that blond-haired guy Kirana's bodyguard or something?"
"Victor, don't comment on my hair!" Gerry cut in, immediately putting his arm around Victor.
Victor turned to me, nodding politely. "Morning."
"Morning too," I replied stiffly. He was still scary to me, especially when the morning sunlight sharply highlighted the scar on his left cheek.
Meanwhile, Nico was silent. He only glanced at me briefly, giving a meaningful smile that was almost invisible before turning to Gerry. We started moving, walking side by side through the crowd of students.
"Yo! Morning Gerry!" A group of guys from the opposite direction greeted him with respectful tones.
"Yo! Morning!" Gerry raised his hand casually.
Several female students standing in front of the bulletin board simultaneously turned their heads. Their cheeks flushed as Gerry passed by them. "Hi... Ge-Gerry," one of them squeaked while waving shyly. Gerry only replied with a small nod, which made them even more flustered.
Nico watched every interaction with furrowed brows. His eyes squinted in confusion, observing his surroundings as if just realizing something. His daze only broke when Gerry nudged his arm.
"Nic, I heard your shoulder was sprained. How is it now?"
"Fully healed. Want to play volleyball again?" Nico challenged with a crooked smile.
"And add to my trauma? No, thanks."
"Or," Victor cut in, "how about a basketball sparring match with me?"
"You sure you want to go against me?" Gerry's grin suddenly appeared, as if he had just spotted an interesting prey.
"Why not?" A competitive spark began to light up in Victor's eyes.
"Huh?" Nico interrupted. "You can play basketball, Gerry? Basketball moves are more complex, you need good body control. In volleyball alone, your serve keeps hitting the net. And that's the most basic technique, you know."
Victor's steps suddenly stopped. He turned to Nico with an incredulous expression. "Nic... don't tell me all this time you've been going to school here and you don't know anything?"
"Wh-what do you mean?" Nico frowned.
Victor held his forehead, looking frustrated. "You really don't know?"
He took a deep breath. "Before the current era of you and me, Aksara High had two other 'wolves': Daniel for volleyball and Gerry beside us here for basketball. Last year, those two swept both sports representing Bandung at POPPROV, you idiot!"
Nico gaped. He stood frozen in place, staring at Gerry with an incredulous look. "For real?"
"It's true," I said. "Last year Gerry was also quarantined at the training center. My life was soooo peaceful then. Ehehe."
"Unfortunately, official competitions are only for tenth and eleventh graders," Victor added. "Twelfth graders are focused on academics so they can score high on exams. You know, right? So they can get into good universities."
Nico was still silent with his mouth open, his world seemingly shifting after discovering that fact.
Victor chuckled softly. "But it's understandable, you're not originally from Bandung, right? (wink)."
"Shut up, Vic! I told you, I came back, not moved here. But Gerry, you should have told me! Now I'm embarrassed, you know!" Nico elbowed Gerry's arm.
Gerry just laughed heartily. "Ahaha. I miss those days."
"Me too. Same here," I said with a chuckle.
Gerry's gaze drifted toward the field, still quiet under the morning sunlight.
"Hmm. I wonder how Daniel is doing at his new school? It's been so long since I've heard from him," Gerry murmured.
The four of us continued walking through the increasingly crowded hallway. Gerry was busy chatting with Victor, while Nico walked right beside me. His face was focused forward, occasionally laughing at their banter. It felt so strange having him this close to me.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Nico, what are you thinking about while you're beside me?
Suddenly, Gerry grabbed Victor's arm, dragging him away from us.
"Vic! Come with me for a second, I need your help." Gerry blinked his eyes, giving a very unsubtle signal.
Victor instead put on a deliberately innocent face. "Need help? With what?" he asked while also blinking, returning Gerry's signal.
"Something very important. An urgent matter that is actually just a made-up excuse," Gerry replied lightly.
"Ah, if it's a made-up matter, then of course I can't let you handle it alone, right? I'll have to help you. Let's go!" Their laughter mixed together crisply.
"You two, we'll go ahead!" Gerry waved while dragging Victor.
"Wa-wait! Gerry!" I tried to reach for the edge of his jacket, but their steps were too fast. They turned down another route and disappeared into the crowd.
The atmosphere suddenly changed. The noisy sounds of other students faded away, leaving an empty space between me and Nico. We walked side by side, keeping a safe distance so our arms wouldn't touch, even though our step rhythm naturally began to sync.
"Do you realize something?" Nico's voice was low, almost a whisper.
"What?"
"They did it on purpose. Giving us space alone."
I looked down, busy playing with my backpack strap while staring at my shoes moving in time with his steps.
"Y-yeah."
He smirked slightly. "How's the DAP I gave you? Working?"
"Yes, it's working." I gathered my courage to turn my head, giving a sincere smile. "The sound is so clear. I like it."
"That's not what I meant." Nico's steps slowed, forcing me to lower my pace. "I meant... do you feel like I'm always close to you?"
The air suddenly felt heavy. I lost my words, trapped in his gaze that locked all my movements. Then... Thump! I stomped on his foot.
"Na-naughty question!"
*
While Kirana and Nico were caught in sweet awkwardness, several meters behind, two heads popped out alternately from behind a large concrete pillar in the hallway.
"Hey, Victor! If we hide here, we definitely won't get caught," Gerry whispered. He peeked his head around the hallway corner, using the top of Victor's head as a chin rest.
"Yeah, they're so far away we can't even hear them. But what do you think they're talking about?" Victor looked up, staring at Gerry who was right above his head.
Gerry squinted, observing Kirana and Nico's stiff gestures from afar. "Looks like it's about hair gel."
"Ha-hair gel?"
"Ssh! Someone who doesn't know anything like you should just stay quiet, Victor."
Victor snorted, pulling himself back and leaning his back against the cold hallway wall. He stared at the ceiling for a moment, his eyes softening.
"Seeing those two, I feel like meeting Vee."
"Vee? Who? Your girlfriend?"
Victor turned his head, giving a flat stare just like Gerry's earlier. "Ssh! Someone who doesn't know anything like you should just stay quiet, Gerry."
Gerry also stepped back, exhaling softly and pressing his back against the wall next to Victor. The two now stood side by side, watching the thinning crowd of students in the distance.
"After school later, I'll contact Daniel," Gerry murmured. "I want to know how he's doing at his new school."
"I'm also going to meet Vee at Littera High," Victor murmured with a genuine small smile. "Take her out for ice cream or a can of cold drink by the basketball court while enjoying the afternoon sun. She'll love it."
For a moment, silence crept between them, only the distant squeaking of other students' shoes could be heard faintly. Gerry glanced at Victor from the corner of his eye, longer than usual.
"Anyway," Gerry broke the silence. "That scar on your left cheekbone... I heard it happened at Littera Middle School, right? Two years ago?"
Victor's breath stopped for a moment. He didn't turn his head, but his shoulders seemed to stiffen under his neat uniform. "Looks like you know something about me."
"Just vague rumors." Gerry stared straight at the passing students, then smiled cheerfully as if nothing had happened. He pointed at his watch casually. "Vic, the bell's about to ring. We'd better get to our respective classrooms."
The tension in Victor's shoulders eased slightly. He exhaled a long breath. "Agreed."
They started walking side by side, leaving their hiding spot. Gerry was silent for a moment, his eyes glancing once more toward Victor's cheek, before finally letting it go completely.